Balancing the budget should not be so hard

I don't understand the difficulty of balancing the Illinois state budget without taking on more debt.

It would only take a 20 or 25 percent across-the-board spending reduction to achieve the goal and a smaller reduction if some taxes were increased.

The downside for state programs and employees is spending reductions would require across-the-board reductions and layoffs. This would mean less state services for the residents of Illinois.

Since the state leads the country in population decline, state services should be cut anyway.

With the present situation of unbalanced budgets, if the population decline continues, it means fewer and fewer residents will be paying for the spending excesses of the current legislature.

All residents should tell their legislators that they want a balanced budget and vote the legislators out of office if they will not commit to passing a balanced budget.

John Stevens

Hoffman Estates